Bag



July 19, 1955 QUINN 2,713,370

BAG

Filed Feb. 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3 FIG. I FIG. 2. A

July 19, 1955 J. QUINN 2,713,370

BAG

Filed Feb. 12, 1953 2 SheetsSheet 2 FIG .4.

BAG

.l'ames L. Quinn, Jacksonville, Fla., assignor to Bemis Bro. BagCompany, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application February12, 1953, Serial No. 336,596

4 Claims. (Cl. 150-11 This invention relates to bags, and moreparticularly to open-mesh bags for packaging produce such as celerystocks, carrots and other produce of similar elongate form.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision ofa box-like, open-mesh ventilating bag for transporting produce of theclass described; the provision of a bag of the class described tofunction as a replacement for more expensive crates or the like; theprovision of a bag of the stated class which will receive and maintainproduce of elongate form in protective parallel arrangements such asthey had in the crate formerly used, the bag to have a shape when filledconforming approximately to the outlines of such a crate so that the bagmay be handled and stowed like a crate; and the provision of a bag ofthe class described composed simply of two rectangular pieces ofopen-mesh material which may be rapidly and economically joined by onecontinuous seam. Other objects and features will be in part apparent andin part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the article and constructionhereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in thefollowing claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 shows a strip of open-mesh fabric for forrn ing the ends andsides of my new bag;

Fig. 2 shows a rectangle of open-mesh fabric for forming the bottom;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view showing a finished bag in idealizedextension, ready for filling;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a closed and filled bag, illustrating one tyingmethod;

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing an alternative tying method;and,

Fig. 7 is a view showing a partially folded condition of the bag.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Briefly, the invention consists of a bottom-forming rectangle ofopen-mesh fabric and a strip of fabric of length equal to the perimeterof the rectangle. Adjacent one edge of the strip is woven a draw cord.The other edge of the strip is joined to the perimeter of the rectangleby a seam starting at one corner of the rectangle and passing around itto where the two ends of the strip meet. The seam is then continued soas to join these two ends, thereby forming a bag which when extendedwill assume a parallelepiped shape. This form of bag, like the morecostly crates which it replaces, will receive elongate vegetables suchas celery, kale, rhubarb, carrots and the like in parallel stacking.Then upon pulling the draw cord and tying it, there results aparallelepiped package of the produce not unlike the said crates andadapted to be handled States Patent O "ice and stowed as they are. Forthis result it is desirable that the width or length of the bag (thewidth preferably) be approximately equal to the average length of theproduce which it is to contain.

Numeral 1 shows a rectangle of open-mesh fabric which may be cut from astrip extending in the direction A or a strip extending in the directionB. The rectangle 1 has marginal edges 3, 5, 7 and 9. In the event thatthe rectangle has been cut from a strip extending in the direction A,the edges 5 and 9 may be selvaged, or at least one edge 5 or 9 may be soselvaged. In the event that the rectangle has been cut from a stripextending in the direction B, the edges 3 and 7 may be selvaged, or atleast one edge 3 or 7 may be so selvaged. This two-sided or two-endedselvaging, while not a necessity (as occurs when the rectangle is cutfrom a half strip), is preferable, since the usual woven open-mesh striphas two selvages available. It is to be further understood that ifdesired the rectangle may have no selvages.

Numeral 11 shows an open-mesh fabric strip, the length of which issubstantially equal to the perimeter of rectangle 1. It is cut from astrip extending in the direction B, in which event both of its sideedges 13 and 15 may be selvaged, but in any event, edge 13 must beselvaged. The ends 17 and 19 of the strip are not selvaged, the strip 11having been cut from a longer strip length. Woven into the strip 11adjacent the selvaged edge 13 is a draw cord 21. The edge 15 and strip11 may be conceived to be divided into segments 3a, 5a, 7a and 9a, asdetermined by imaginary corner lines 23, 25 and 27, which willultimately be located at the corners of the final bag. Thus we have thefollowing pairs of equal lengths indicated in brackets: (3, 3a); (5,5a); (7, 7a); and (9, 9a).

The bag is completed by placing together margins 3 and 3a andoverstitching in the direction shown by arrow C, thus joining them toform a seam segment 29. Then the seam is continued by joining margins 5and 5a, continuing the seam as a segment 31, as shown at arrow D. Theseam is further continued by joining margins 7 and 7a, continuing theseam as a segment 33, as shown at arrow B. The seam is further continuedby joining margins 9 and 9a, continuing the seam as a segment 35, asshown at arrow F. This allows bringing together the marginal ends 17 and19 of the strip 11. The seam is then further and finally continued byjoining the margins 17 and 19 of strip 11, continuing the seam as asegment 37, as shown at arrow G. At the end of the seam the end portions39 of the draw cord 21 are also caught to anchor them. The seam may bedrawn out for a small indeterminate distance, such as indicated at 41,depending upon how much selvage 13 can be stretched out for the purpose,without unduly distorting the finished right-angularity of the adjacentbag corner.

The result of the above-described operation which joins the members 1and 11 by the continuous seam 29, 31, 33, 35, 37 is an open-meshparallelepiped shape of bag such as ideally shown in Fig. 3. This shapeis obtained when the bag is manipulated by pulling in oppositedirections on the diagonally opposite pairs of corners. On the otherhand, it will be understood that the bag may be folded flatwise forempty shipment by intucking the ends as indicated at 2 and overlayingthe sides on the bottom (note Fig. 7 in this connection).

As above indicated, the bag is preferably for produce of elongate form,such as celery stock, kale, rhubarb, carrots and the like, which lendthemselves to parallel stacking like cordwood. To fill the bag it isheld more or less in the shape shown in Fig. 3 and the appropriateproduce V inserted, as indicated in Fig. 5. All the produce butts may beat one side of the bag and the crowns at the other side (as shown), orthe butts and crowns may alternately lie in opposite directions (notshown). However, the produce is not piled as deep as the width of strip11, so that ultimately by pulling the draw cord 21 in oppositedirections the upper parts of the sides and ends of the bag may bepulled in, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The resulting double drawcordextensions 43 may be then knotted in a four-cord knot, as indicated at45. The contours of the resulting loaded bag are of generallyparallelepiped form, not unlike the crates which they replace. Since thebags are made of open-mesh fabric, the produce receives properventilation, and the bags may be stacked and handled more or less ascrates. However, they may be manufactured more economically and arelighter in weight.

In Fig. 6 is shown how the draw cord 21 may be pulled out at one sidepoint, as indicated at 47, and then provided with a side knot, as shownat 49. is alternative to the draw-cord pulling and knotting scheme shownin Fig. 4.

Both knotting arrangements are satisfactory, although the one shown inFig. 4 is preferable. In cases wherein the draw-cord bags are madestrong enough for the purpose, the knotted extensions of the draw cordallow the draw cord to be used as a satchel-like handle for the bag.While the knotted extension shown in Fig. 6 may also be used as ahandle, it is not centered, as in Fig. 4.

If it is desired to have the loaded bag appear with sharper corners, arectangular sheet of cardboard may be laid on the bottom 1 beforefilling. Then, after the produce V has been loaded, another rectangularsheet of cardboard may be laid on top of the produce before the top ofthe bag is closed in. Such sheets give added protection to the produceand sharper corners on the filled bag, but are not in general necessary.

It may be mentioned that the overstitched seam is of some importance, inthat it is effective to join together adjacent marginal edges ofopen-mesh fabric, either when the fabric is selvaged on both joinededges or selvaged on one joined edge only, and even when unselvaged oneither joined edge. This is because the joined marginal edges may becylindrically bunched within such an overstitched seam. Therefore itwill be seen that such a seam provides a strong attachment is of coursenecessary in a bag of this class.

It is to be understood that the term rectangular, as used herein,includes a square shape.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above article and constructionwithout departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. A ventilating bag for produce or the like comprising a rectangularbottom panel of open-mesh fabric and a side and top-forming strip ofopen-mesh fabric having a length generally equal to the perimeter of thebottom panel, the strip being joined along one lengthwise margin thereofto the perimeter of the bottom panel and having its ends joined togetherby a continuous stitched seam starting at the point where the ends ofthe strip meet one another and the perimeter of the bottom panel andcontinuing completely around the perimeter of the bottom panel to saidmeeting point and thence up the meeting ends of the strip to the topthereof.

2. A bag as set forth in claim 1 wherein a draw cord is incorporated inthe other lengthwise margin of the strip.

3. A bag as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ends of the strip meet inline with a corner of the bottom panel.

4. A bag as set forth in claim 3 wherein a draw cord is incorporated inthe other lengthwise margin of the strip, the ends of the draw cord atthe ends of the strip being caught in the portion of the continuous seamjoining the ends of the strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.18,905 Allen Aug. 1, 1933 896,600 Thornton Aug. 18, 1908 904,142 MooreNov. 17, 1908 1,941,510 Scruggs Jan. 2, 1934 2,392,221 Brady Jan. 1,1946 2,393,151 Debate Jan. 15, 1946 2,544,223 Ellis Mar. 6. 1951

